Hi Verenice! You did a great job making your video. It's great that you had good experiences in your elementary classrooms that you want to bring to your future classroom; such as accepting mistakes and that practice makes perfect. It’s so important to instill the belief that mistakes lead to growth and learning, not failure. I understand that you did not learn much from the worksheets in your elementary classroom, this is because activity and hands-on learning is what truly helps you learn a new language. You also mentioned that you want to integrate hands-on learning in your future classroom, this will support the learning of your future ELL students. I admire you for going to China to learn Mandarin. I believe this is the best way to learn a new language, by immersing yourself in the language and culture. You learned so much in one month because you were consistently using Mandarin and surrounded by the language. It makes sense that you have lost your Mandarin skills since coming back to the States because it is rarely spoken here. Just like a muscle, your brain needs to consistently “work out” and practice the skill in order to retain it.
Hello Lauren! Thank you for enjoying my blog. I really believe that when we immerse ourselves and our mind to learn a new language it helps by absorbing everything. As it encourages to learn a new language, so we are able communicate with others as we would not have many options. I feel that students learn when they are doing hands-on activities rather than copying what the teacher has on the board. Teachers teaching the “Original Framework” could take up to 2 years for the students to learn which it’s a long time, as we only have the students for at least 9 months to teach them.
Hi Verenice! I really enjoyed watching your video. I also plan to get certified as a bilingual teacher. I had many bilingual teachers in my younger grades that influenced me to do so. I also think it is so awesome that you got the opportunity to visit China! That sounds like such a great experience, I am sure that learning those few phrases was challenging for you since it was a new language. I think that your idea of trying to find common grounds for students to assimilate will be perfect for ELLs. Wright states, “educators who work with ELLs must be aware of the linguistic diversity in their schools and surrounding communities” (Wright, 2015, pg. 6) which goes hand in hand with being aware of the student’s common grounds so that you can make learning easier for them.
Wright, Wayne. Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon, 2015.Print. Second Edition
Hello Carina! It I enjoyed reading your post. Yes, learning a new language and even the small phrase was difficult. As it is a little harder to learn a new language as an adult. I am glad that you had wonderful teachers to inspire you. I think that all teachers should help their students because they care not because they have to. I never knew that there was a difference between being bilingual and translanguaging. Which makes a difference, that’s one of the common things that we as teachers can use to make connections with the students with their native language and the second language.
Hello Verenice, I really enjoyed your video blog. I am also going to be getting my certification in Bilingual or an ESL certification, which ever I can do first. It is so weird how your bilingual class just gave you worksheets in order to know both languages. I was never in a bilingual classroom since my first language in English and now I know the difference in a Spanish classroom and generalist classroom. According to the text “Being that the earlier you learn a language the better skills you will have when it comes to writing, reading, and speaking (Wright, 2015).” This is just how you started to learn English. That is awesome that you went to China but lost the mandarin language. Now students’ needs hands on activities to grasp the knowledge of what they are learning.
Wright, Wayne. Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon, 2015. Print. Second Edition
Hi Linda! Thank you for watching my blog. That is great that you want to pursue another certification other than EC-6 generalist. I have learned that when children are young it is better to introduce them so several languages. As well as do a one parent-one-language in the household or have the students speak the native language at home and the second language at school. By incorporating hands on activities the students will be able to be engage more than just writing in paper.
Hello Verenice! I had fun watching your first video blog and learning more about you. My mother came to the United States from the Dominican Republic when she was nine and my father came to the United States from Puerto Rico when he was still fairly young as well. Due to this, I also grew up in a Spanish speaking household, yet I did not take any ESL classes growing up. When I took Spanish class in high school for the credit, all I remember doing were worksheets and other tedious work on the computer. This resulted in a lot of kids not actually learning the language at all and it made me realize the possible ineffectiveness of that learning system. I remember learning through the world and being taken around and shown things. I learned through immersion which I feel is also better than the worksheets I've done. Hands on activities are the best.
Congratulations on graduating in May! Wow! Verenice, visiting China seems so exciting. You made it seem as though it was simple to learn your second language, or L2, of English. You mentioned that your teacher would administer worksheets written dually in English and Spanish. However, you said that you mainly learned English through verbal interactions at school with peers and teachers. In hindsight, do you believe that translanguaging was taking place, with you receiving information in Spanish and then attempting to use or apply it in English (Wright, 2015)? It seems that this experience is pretty common for English language learner students. I was unaware that schools offered classes taught in Spanish, so you just taught me something very interesting. Was it difficult transitioning from classes in taught in Spanish to ESL classes in the first grade? Did this transition attribute to additive bilingualism, in which case you maintained fluency in Spanish (Wright, 2015)? I agree with you that mistakes are a vital occurrence in the learning process. I am glad that your teachers and you as a future educator encourage students to try and not to be afraid of making mistakes, especially when attempting to speak a new language. Would you have considered your teachers and school as having language-as-resource orientation? Do you believe that your elementary school and its teachers engaged “in pluralist (or multilingual) discourses by recognizing ELL’s home languages and cultures as rich resources for helping ELLs learn English and academic content” (Wright, 2015, p. 2, 3)? As a future ESL and/or bilingual educator, how important do you think it is to “strive to help students develop high levels of proficiency and literacy in both languages” (Wright, 2015, p. 3)? It is awesome that you are working towards becoming bilingual and/or ESL certified. Those certifications are an invaluable asset for any teacher. However, you will definitely put them to good use, since you aspire to teach ELL students and help them learn English the way your “wonderful teachers” did with you.
Congratulations on starting your senior year! Thank you so much for sharing your story and experiences. I also am a first generation college student so I know how it feels to feel pressured to always do well in school. I found it very interesting that you said you learned English through speaking and practicing the English language verbally, and not worksheets that most teachers use to teach their ELL students. I've always wanted to travel to a new country and learn their language. That is incredible that you were able to travel all the way to China and immerse yourself in their culture and traditions. Because of your unique experiences and your own struggles with learning the English language, I think you will be an amazing educator to your ELL students in the future. In the text, it is stated that teachers must know enough about language structure and to speak and write so that their students understand what they are saying (Wright, 2015, p.25). You seem to know how it feels to struggle with learning a new language but you will have students that need a teacher like you to encourage them that they can do it! Good luck in teaching!
Hello Asmara, Being a first generation in going to college is a lot of pressure. As trying to make good grades and making our parents happy. Being a bilingual person, it helps to know how other students feel as learning a whole new language. I love what you wrote on how I will be able to encourage them to learn a new language as I went through it myself. That is why I would love to be in a bilingual program to be able to help the student. It is important as future teachers that we should know how to asses the students with mapping their growth.
Hello Verenice! I loved your blog video, it was a well made presentation. Your experience being an ESL learner in elementary school to a first generation college student learning Mandarin was truly inspiring to me as I am only fluent in English. It is interesting that we both spoke negatively of learning in the classroom with worksheets in our videos, both preferring more meaningful and hands on experiences, where it is okay to make mistakes! This goes to show how we both want to differentiate our lessons to best fit our students.This makes me very hopeful for our teaching in the future!
Hello Astyn! I am glad to hear that in the classroom that you placed in that you have an ELL student. It is wonderful to hear that you are very patient with him and not trying to rush him to speak. I also have 2 students so I know that if they need help I jump in to translate what they are supposed to be doing. Pressuring a student to speak at a faster rate can intimidate him and cause him to shut down. Learning a new language cannot be done by worksheets. As they will not het a chance to speak it. They could be amazing at writing it but will they be able to communicate and conjugate verbs when needed.
Hello Verenice! I loved your video, it was nice getting to know more about you. So glad to hear you took the opportunity of learning Mandarin on your trip. Eventually I will also get my certification in Bilingual education. It is a bit surprising that you were only given worksheets for you to work on in your ESL class. Hands-on activities are more efficient for kids that are learning new concepts. I feel as though us wanting to be bilingual educators have to put in the extra work for our students’ future.
Hi Verenice! You did a great job making your video. It's great that you had good experiences in your elementary classrooms that you want to bring to your future classroom; such as accepting mistakes and that practice makes perfect. It’s so important to instill the belief that mistakes lead to growth and learning, not failure. I understand that you did not learn much from the worksheets in your elementary classroom, this is because activity and hands-on learning is what truly helps you learn a new language. You also mentioned that you want to integrate hands-on learning in your future classroom, this will support the learning of your future ELL students. I admire you for going to China to learn Mandarin. I believe this is the best way to learn a new language, by immersing yourself in the language and culture. You learned so much in one month because you were consistently using Mandarin and surrounded by the language. It makes sense that you have lost your Mandarin skills since coming back to the States because it is rarely spoken here. Just like a muscle, your brain needs to consistently “work out” and practice the skill in order to retain it.
ReplyDeleteHello Lauren!
DeleteThank you for enjoying my blog. I really believe that when we immerse ourselves and our mind to learn a new language it helps by absorbing everything. As it encourages to learn a new language, so we are able communicate with others as we would not have many options. I feel that students learn when they are doing hands-on activities rather than copying what the teacher has on the board. Teachers teaching the “Original Framework” could take up to 2 years for the students to learn which it’s a long time, as we only have the students for at least 9 months to teach them.
Hi Verenice! I really enjoyed watching your video. I also plan to get certified as a bilingual teacher. I had many bilingual teachers in my younger grades that influenced me to do so. I also think it is so awesome that you got the opportunity to visit China! That sounds like such a great experience, I am sure that learning those few phrases was challenging for you since it was a new language. I think that your idea of trying to find common grounds for students to assimilate will be perfect for ELLs. Wright states, “educators who work with ELLs must be aware of the linguistic diversity in their schools and surrounding communities” (Wright, 2015, pg. 6) which goes hand in hand with being aware of the student’s common grounds so that you can make learning easier for them.
ReplyDeleteWright, Wayne. Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon, 2015.Print. Second Edition
Hello Carina!
DeleteIt I enjoyed reading your post. Yes, learning a new language and even the small phrase was difficult. As it is a little harder to learn a new language as an adult. I am glad that you had wonderful teachers to inspire you. I think that all teachers should help their students because they care not because they have to. I never knew that there was a difference between being bilingual and translanguaging. Which makes a difference, that’s one of the common things that we as teachers can use to make connections with the students with their native language and the second language.
Hello Verenice, I really enjoyed your video blog. I am also going to be getting my certification in Bilingual or an ESL certification, which ever I can do first. It is so weird how your bilingual class just gave you worksheets in order to know both languages. I was never in a bilingual classroom since my first language in English and now I know the difference in a Spanish classroom and generalist classroom. According to the text “Being that the earlier you learn a language the better skills you will have when it comes to writing, reading, and speaking (Wright, 2015).” This is just how you started to learn English. That is awesome that you went to China but lost the mandarin language. Now students’ needs hands on activities to grasp the knowledge of what they are learning.
ReplyDeleteWright, Wayne. Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon, 2015. Print. Second Edition
Hi Linda!
DeleteThank you for watching my blog. That is great that you want to pursue another certification other than EC-6 generalist. I have learned that when children are young it is better to introduce them so several languages. As well as do a one parent-one-language in the household or have the students speak the native language at home and the second language at school. By incorporating hands on activities the students will be able to be engage more than just writing in paper.
Hello Verenice! I had fun watching your first video blog and learning more about you. My mother came to the United States from the Dominican Republic when she was nine and my father came to the United States from Puerto Rico when he was still fairly young as well. Due to this, I also grew up in a Spanish speaking household, yet I did not take any ESL classes growing up. When I took Spanish class in high school for the credit, all I remember doing were worksheets and other tedious work on the computer. This resulted in a lot of kids not actually learning the language at all and it made me realize the possible ineffectiveness of that learning system. I remember learning through the world and being taken around and shown things. I learned through immersion which I feel is also better than the worksheets I've done. Hands on activities are the best.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on graduating in May! Wow! Verenice, visiting China seems so exciting. You made it seem as though it was simple to learn your second language, or L2, of English. You mentioned that your teacher would administer worksheets written dually in English and Spanish. However, you said that you mainly learned English through verbal interactions at school with peers and teachers. In hindsight, do you believe that translanguaging was taking place, with you receiving information in Spanish and then attempting to use or apply it in English (Wright, 2015)? It seems that this experience is pretty common for English language learner students. I was unaware that schools offered classes taught in Spanish, so you just taught me something very interesting. Was it difficult transitioning from classes in taught in Spanish to ESL classes in the first grade? Did this transition attribute to additive bilingualism, in which case you maintained fluency in Spanish (Wright, 2015)? I agree with you that mistakes are a vital occurrence in the learning process. I am glad that your teachers and you as a future educator encourage students to try and not to be afraid of making mistakes, especially when attempting to speak a new language. Would you have considered your teachers and school as having language-as-resource orientation? Do you believe that your elementary school and its teachers engaged “in pluralist (or multilingual) discourses by recognizing ELL’s home languages and cultures as rich resources for helping ELLs learn English and academic content” (Wright, 2015, p. 2, 3)? As a future ESL and/or bilingual educator, how important do you think it is to “strive to help students develop high levels of proficiency and literacy in both languages” (Wright, 2015, p. 3)? It is awesome that you are working towards becoming bilingual and/or ESL certified. Those certifications are an invaluable asset for any teacher. However, you will definitely put them to good use, since you aspire to teach ELL students and help them learn English the way your “wonderful teachers” did with you.
ReplyDeleteHello Verenice,
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on starting your senior year! Thank you so much for sharing your story and experiences. I also am a first generation college student so I know how it feels to feel pressured to always do well in school. I found it very interesting that you said you learned English through speaking and practicing the English language verbally, and not worksheets that most teachers use to teach their ELL students.
I've always wanted to travel to a new country and learn their language. That is incredible that you were able to travel all the way to China and immerse yourself in their culture and traditions.
Because of your unique experiences and your own struggles with learning the English language, I think you will be an amazing educator to your ELL students in the future. In the text, it is stated that teachers must know enough about language structure and to speak and write so that their students understand what they are saying (Wright, 2015, p.25). You seem to know how it feels to struggle with learning a new language but you will have students that need a teacher like you to encourage them that they can do it! Good luck in teaching!
Hello Asmara,
DeleteBeing a first generation in going to college is a lot of pressure. As trying to make good grades and making our parents happy. Being a bilingual person, it helps to know how other students feel as learning a whole new language. I love what you wrote on how I will be able to encourage them to learn a new language as I went through it myself. That is why I would love to be in a bilingual program to be able to help the student. It is important as future teachers that we should know how to asses the students with mapping their growth.
Hello Verenice!
ReplyDeleteI loved your blog video, it was a well made presentation. Your experience being an ESL learner in elementary school to a first generation college student learning Mandarin was truly inspiring to me as I am only fluent in English. It is interesting that we both spoke negatively of learning in the classroom with worksheets in our videos, both preferring more meaningful and hands on experiences, where it is okay to make mistakes! This goes to show how we both want to differentiate our lessons to best fit our students.This makes me very hopeful for our teaching in the future!
Hello Astyn!
ReplyDeleteI am glad to hear that in the classroom that you placed in that you have an ELL student. It is wonderful to hear that you are very patient with him and not trying to rush him to speak. I also have 2 students so I know that if they need help I jump in to translate what they are supposed to be doing. Pressuring a student to speak at a faster rate can intimidate him and cause him to shut down. Learning a new language cannot be done by worksheets. As they will not het a chance to speak it. They could be amazing at writing it but will they be able to communicate and conjugate verbs when needed.
Hello Verenice!
ReplyDeleteI loved your video, it was nice getting to know more about you. So glad to hear you took the opportunity of learning Mandarin on your trip. Eventually I will also get my certification in Bilingual education. It is a bit surprising that you were only given worksheets for you to work on in your ESL class. Hands-on activities are more efficient for kids that are learning new concepts. I feel as though us wanting to be bilingual educators have to put in the extra work for our students’ future.